Paul Duhem was born in a little Belgian village, just yards from the French border. Son of an unmarried mother, he was unaccepted. Around 13 he left school to work on farms around Tournai. The region suffered severely during occupation time. Duhem worked in Germany, was locked up as a collaborator afterwards. Because he was not in full possession of his faculties, he was transferred to a psychiatric hospital and was put to work on farms. In 1978 he entered La Pommeraie, from 1990 he has visited the workshop for daily painting. He has two subjects: doors (houses) and portrait buste.